FDA to Increase Number of Drugs For Fast-Track Approval

 Posted on September 18, 2013 in Defective Drugs & Treatments

Despite the rising number of lawsuits being brought against pharmaceutical giants, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that it will continue to increase the number of drugs it fast-tracks for approval, according to NaturalNews.com. The approval-acceleration program is known as "Fast Track, Accelerated Approval and Priority Review," according to NaturalNews, "which is really just a fraudulent shortcut method for drug companies to rush potentially-deadly new drugs to market without appropriate regulatory review." Such drugs that the FDA plans to put into this program, according to NaturalNews, include obesity treatments, antibiotics, and cancer treatments. Oftentimes these drugs will get an FDA seal of approval without having undergone extensive clinical trials. They'd also have "smaller sample sizes and entail shorter duration periods" of trials, according to NaturalNews.

The FDA, on the other hand, claims that fast-tracking drugs, skipping what can often be an incredibly pricey trial process, is in the best interest of public health. MedCity News is cited by NaturalNews as supporting this notion, saying that, "the FDA would allow developers of such drugs to conduct smaller, faster clinical trials and provide a 'special medical use' label which would allow doctors to administer drugs to patients with critical need." The FDA has said that it will take into consideration not approving drugs for use in cases in which the patient is incredibly weak due to deadly or debilitating disease.

There is a significant number of household-name drugs that have been the subject of lawsuits due to defects as of late. Several of these are anti-depressants: Zoloft, Lexapro, and Paxil have all been linked to debilitating side effects and have been the subject of defective product lawsuits. Patients and their families who have been affected have little other recourse than a lawsuit.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of a defective medical product, especially if the FDA has approved it, you're likely eligible for compensation. Don't go through it alone. Contact a dedicated Illinois defective medical device attorney today.